Compression stockings and compression bandages are widely used on the arms and legs of people suffering from various medical conditions. The compression stockings are well suited to treat, minimize or prevent odema in the legs, particularly of people suffering from congestive cardiac failure. Stockings and compression stockings are also well suited to treatment of varicose veins, some ulcers and some forms of vasulitis. Compression bandages are often used to minimize scarring in burns case and to prevent bleeding and seepage from open wounds.
While there are many therapeutic indications for the use of compression stockings, their use is not without its challenges. Compression stockings come in a variety of sizes and, with reference to the legs, they may vary in diameter and length for use below the knee or to mid-thigh. Further, the degree of compression provided by these bandages is graded into progressive classes of decreasing elasticity and associated compression. While subsequent discussion will be restricted to compression stockings, it should be understood that this expression extends to various types of stockings, compression bandages and the like for the purposes of this specification.
Application of compression stockings requires the exertion of considerable effort and the use of digital and hand strength. This is often beyond the capacity of elderly users of compression stockings providing the unacceptable situation where the compression stockings could provide great benefit but they are unable to be applied. Non compliance with treatment regimes involving the application of compression stockings by patients is common and is recognised as a major factor in recurrence of a variety of treatable community health issues.
One response of health systems is to allot time for community nurses or similar to visit patients in their residences and apply the compression stockings. However, they must then revisit that patient to remove the compression stocking at the end of the day or after a suitable period of time. A further risk in application of the stockings arises from the often devitalized nature of the skin of elderly patients. The risk of bruising and skin breakage is high when manipulating a compression stocking on to a limb manually. This can be a considerable problem with a predisposition to developing ulceration magnified by poor micro-circulation in the area.
There is also a significant economic detriment in having to fund the attendance of a community nurse many times at a patient's home. A significant percentage of the budget of many community health schemes is directed towards providing assistance to patients to apply and subsequently remove compression stockings. It is known to use some devices for pre-loading compression stockings for application to a limb. These devices vary in their degree of difficulty of use associated with loading the compression stocking, their physical size, accessibility of the limb to the device, and transportability. In addition, such devices do not provide a method of removing the compression stocking from the limb.
It would be of benefit to provide a solution, even if partial, to this dilemma.